The Moses Gate area of Farnworth, near Bolton, has one of the lowest life expectancy rates in the country. Babies born there are expected to live to just 75 on average. And a local mum told the Manchester Evening News: “I know it’s not an affluent area by any means, but that’s madness.”
“We’re in 2023. You don’t expect that, do you?”
The particular postcode for this area ranks alongside Oldham town centre as the lowest life expectancy age in Greater Manchester. Campaigners Health Equals have recently released the alarming data.
The research also found that northern and Scottish cities have far lower life expectancy rates than affluent parts of the south.
The low life expectancy in Farnworth has been linked to the level of deprivation in the area. But it hasn’t always been that way, according to resident Alan Worthington.
“There needs to be more for the kids to do,” the 76-year-old said. “I had three grandsons and they sit at home. I’ve been here for 50 years. It’s gone downhill fast.
“[The town centre] was pretty good, now there’s too many hairdressers and fast-food shops. It’s poor.”
Another local, Nick Baynham, was surprised at the findings, adding: “I’m a bit shocked to be fair.”
The 25-year-old went on: “I expected people to live longer than that, to about 90 or something. That’s bad, but it’s people not having the best path in life, especially around here.”
Nationally, the largest life expectancy gap in the UK is 18 years. Babies born in Blackpool town centre can expect to live to 73 on average – that’s compared to South Kensington in London where the average life expectancy is 91.
Young mum-of-two Sophie Williams, 24, described the research as “scary” – citing the amount of traffic in Moses Gate as a possible reason for the statistic. She said: “There’s a lot of traffic.
“It’s awful. There’s a lot of crashes. It’s quite a confusing area to drive in. [The data] is shocking, it’s really bad, it’s scary.”
Mother-of-two Leah Warburton, 26, believes there needs to be more for children to do in the area. She said: “People leave their cars in stupid places, there’s not that many parks or green spaces and there’s not a lot for kids to do.”
“There was a kids play centre over the back, but that’s been closed for a while. If I had the money, I’d buy it.”
Bolton GP Helen Wall says there are many factors that make up a low life expectancy rate. She explained: “We have long since known that life expectancy is inextricably linked to deprivation with a direct correlation between lower life expectancy and those born in the areas with the highest levels of deprivation.
“As well as our genetics, good health and living longer is impacted by many other factors. We know that having a lifestyle that includes behaviours such as smoking, substance misuse, excess alcohol use and a diet high in salt and fat, as well as poor access to and use of health care all contribute to lower life expectancy.
“We do often see these factors in higher numbers in areas of higher deprivation. However, there are other well known factors that also impact on life expectancy.
“The wider socio-economic determinants of health such as income, education, housing quality and employment (type and availability) all affect our life expectancy. Unfortunately deprivation, and in particular the gaps in life expectancy, have been worsened of late by the impact of the Covid pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis.
“As health and social care leaders and professionals we have a responsibility to ensure that we design and facilitate our health and social care services to ensure no one gets left behind and we significantly reduce our health inequalities.”
Carrie Hume, head of Health Equals, which carried out the research, said: “Our members are diverse, but carry the same message. The size of the UK’s life expectancy gap is entirely preventable, but not enough attention is paid to how our health is shaped by our interactions with the world around us.
“We’re calling on politicians to take action, doing more to understand what shapes our health, and creating plans to improve our opportunities for good health.”
John Godfrey, director of Levelling Up, Legal and General added: “Life expectancy has stalled for the first time in 100 years — while for some areas of the UK, life expectancy is reversing.
“The UK is one of the wealthiest countries in the world and yet people are spending more time in poor health. It’s harming society, our economy and leading to lives needlessly cut short across the UK.”
Yasmin Qureshi, MP for Bolton South East, which covers Farnworth, added: “It is for governments to prioritise targeted support to areas like Moses Gate and Farnworth and try to improve outcomes for those who live there, whether that be health, education, or employment.
“Yet after 13 years of Conservative rule, the safety net has been pulled with cuts to SureStart, EMA, and welfare payments. We’ve seen local authority budgets decimated and outreach programmes cut, while the NHS faces winter crisis after winter crisis due to chronic underfunding.
“In the most recent budget, the Chancellor gave a handout to the one per cent, while the most vulnerable in society are on the frontline facing a cost of living crisis like never before. If we want to address health outcomes in Moses Gate, and improve life expectancy, we need a Government that supports good jobs, invests in left behind areas, and provides support where it is most needed.”
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.
